Montreal-born lawyer Lenkov representing Rose in latest Hall bid, Dawson voices support
Montreal lawyer Jeffrey Lenkov is assisting Pete Rose in the all-time hits leaders’s latest bid for the Hall of Fame.
November 16, 2022
By Danny Gallagher
Canadian Baseball Network
Former Expo Ellis Valentine told Jeffrey Lenkov many years ago he would be a prime minister of Canada at some point.
It didn't turn out that way but that same Lenkov, a Montreal native, is representing one-time Expo Pete Rose in his latest bid to be reinstated by the commissioner's office and placed on the Cooperstown Hall of Fame eligibility list.
That news was revealed by freelance writer Mike Cohen in a story he wrote a few days ago for the Montreal weekly newspaper The Suburban.
And Rose's 1984 Expos teammate Andre Dawson told me today he's in favour of Rose getting reinstated.
"My only comment is GET IT DONE,'' Dawson said in a text message.
Lenkov, a graduate of McGill University in Montreal, is an equity partner in the Los Angeles office of Manning and Kass. He's a certified players' agent with the NHLPA and leads his firm's entertainment law, professional sports law and retail, restaurant and hospitality teams. He's a high-powered attorney for sure.
Rose, 81, was banned for life on Aug. 23, 1989 after it was discovered he wagered bets on games while he was managing the Cincinnati Reds in the mid-to-late 1980s.
In an exclusive interview a few days ago with Cohen, Rose said he's confident "Lenkov will help him get reinstated.''
In a letter obtained by TMZ, Rose has written to commissioner Rob Manfred for reinstatement after 33 years of exile. Rose confirmed to Cohen he did in fact write the letter.
"I am writing for three reasons,'' the letter reads in part. "First, because of my age, I want to be 100% sure that you understand how much I mean it when I say that I'm sorry. Second, to ask for your forgiveness. And third, because I think every day about what it would mean to be considered for the Hall of Fame.
"I also know that I disappointed many Reds fans and baseball fans. Besides spending time with my kids and my partner, there's nothing that made me happier than playing baseball in front of fans. That I let them down and brought shame to the sport we all love is something I think about every single day.''
Rose spent part of the 1984 season with the Expos before being traded to his hometown Reds in August.
On April 13, 1984, Rose collected his 4,000th hit at Olympic Stadium.
"I will always remember my 4,000th hit,'' Rose told Cohen, who covered Rose and the Expos that season. "The fan reaction meant a lot to me.''
In mid-December of 2015, Manfred turned down Rose's last request for reinstatement, so it will be interesting to see what the commish decides this time. Manfred and Rose met at one point to discuss his last request before Manfred said no.
"Mr. Rose has not presented credible evidence of a reconfigured life either by an honest acceptance by him of his wrongdoing, so clearly established by the Dowd Report, or by a rigorous, self-aware and sustained program of avoidance by him of the circumstances that led to his permanent eligibility in 1989. Absent such credible evidence, allowing him to work in the game presents an unacceptable risk of a future violation by him of Rule 21, and thus to the integrity of our sport. I, therefore, must reject Mr. Rose's application for reinstatement," Manfred wrote in 2015.